minats_zone

Hey there, It was my B-Day yesterday. Really, it was not an easy day for me at all. God knows how I survived and managed to get over it. We drove there in Stanislaw's car with Georgy as a chauffeur. It took us 2,5 hours through the traffic jams! Awful! And not only this, psychologically it was really hard for me, though I invited only close friends, Marina and Kostya. Well, now it's already over... Have a look at some shots I made there. There was Russian striptease show in the background. Girls were very prefessional...I published an album on Facebook,too.

Hey, there, I've just got back from Nizhny Novgorod, which is on the Volga and Oka rivers. I went there for a day (a flying visit) as I took part in the HSE conference there. I've been in NN several times before, but this time I was in mid February so it was pretty cold and snowy there. The city is beautifully located and has a splendid embankment along the Volga. It was early in the morning (7.30 am)when I took a walk there and it was almost empty. There was one jogger there and me. Another very pleasant surprise was the trains: they have become really modern and comfortable with flashy bio-toilets and smiling conductors. Sth really good to perlace our previous rough trains!!! Love and smiles from me to all of you...

Hey there, Bitterly cold weather at the beginning of February gave the way to windy and harsh days on the Eve of Easter fasting (Easter - April 4th this year). But now we're enjoying the so called 'Maslennitsa' or a 'Pancake Week', which ends up tomorrow. We've been eating pancakes the whole week with various fillings. Today I've made some shots of'Russian Sledges' with kids and also Stanislaw's cooking some fancy cake stuffed with ground meat and potatoes puree.All this is covered with the thick coat of cheese. God knows how he manages all those recipes??? Real Talent!!!

Hi everyone, I decided to post this update right now after walking around our dacha and thinking hard over John's set of pictures in a slideshow that I got yesterday. Those slides show mostly dark sides of our Russian life; people drinking, kids taking this example, messy situations etc. It was a kind of promotion of a very negative image of Russia. Surely, some aspects of life here can be really rough, ecpesially for those who are seeking only them. But generally, I wouldn't agree with the message of those slides as in any country one can find sth reflecting only dark sides. So today, on this bright and sunny day (-20C) I've made some funny shots which show other features of 'Russian Character'- extremely odd for foreigners behaviour (those people are not drunk) and love for sth else except drinking. Anyway, Jon, thanks a lot for the slides and keep sending sth like that. It gives food for thoughts. Have a look...

Hi there, Have a look at some photos of our 7 month old Stephan. The shots are of poor quality as Kostya used his mobile and sent them to me. But you can clearly see how he has grown up. Probably Granny feeds Stepka very well as he seems to be quite a big baby. Love and take care...

Hi there, A week already passed since we got back from the warmth of Vietnam to freezing cold Moscow with temperatures unusually low -15-25C below Zero. On the other hand, this winter in Moscow is very sunshiny, too. This is something I really enjoy, especially when outside Moscow. Another good news is that Kostya eventually found a job as a lorry driver with a shoe-making company. It makes and distributes very popular winter style shoes called 'Proschai Molodost' all over Russia . His salary is not high yet, but after so much time out of work it's better than nothing. He has to drive his truck to Murom, Smolensk and other cities. Marina resumed her classes at school. We haven't seen little Stephan for a long time but they promised to take some new photos so I'll post them later. After the holiday, I have a lot of work to catch up with so sending my love to all of you and getting back to my routine...

Ha Noi met us with grey skies and drizzle. It's only +14 here. Tomorrow we are leaving for Moscow. Big 'Thanks' to Vietnam and all of you for remembering us. Much love, as usual. Спасибо Отправить эту открытку Разместить в блоге/на сайте   Открытка предоставлена: SonyaKa

Hello everbody, Christmas is in Russia and everywhere in the world where Russians live. Merry Christmas to all of you!!! I wish I could hear church bells aroud but here I am, in Vietnam. However, Olia was at the church service in SF and is going to do it again. She will pray for all of us on these days. God, bless her and all of us scattered around the world... Well, the last days in Vinpearl were very memorable as we spent them at the Hot Mud Bath Park in Nha Trang, where I met John and Honey, soaking in the next tub. Surely, the place has become even more comfortable and attractive. Massage and hot mineral baths made us feel totally relaxed. Stanislaw even got some sleep, but not me. Sadly, but we had to say 'Good Bye' to Vinpearl and Nha Trang. Hope to come there again... Love and CHRISTMAS greetings to you...

Hi there, Today we've been to snorkelling, but to be honest, I was busy snorkelling with Stanislaw and our guide sitting on the boat watching. Stanislaw is not keen on swimming and the guide was wearing a life jacket when he excorted me during the first session. He thought I couldn't swim. But I am a Fish and water is my medium, so he understood it and decided to observe me from the boat. We rented a boat for this trip with a guide for 2 of us. It was really good as we deedn't need to share the boat with any other people. The coralls were splendid but they became more scarce than the last snorkelling session in Nha Trang. Maybe it was because of summer(now it's winter), who knows or because of poor water quality. Have a look at some of he photos we made. The one with us sitting on the boat Stanislaw called 'Two puzdryanika'. Those who know Russian language can see the meaning behind it. Anyway, enjoying our stay here...

Hey there, Eventually, the big day and the celebration are over. Frankly speaking, it was pretty noisy, crowded and not very funny. I expected the party would be indoors, but it was outdoors, around the swimming pool. Even at the beginning, I thought that some Russians could easily fall in it and this was the case after 24-00. The food and the performance were very good but the impression was spoiled by crowds of people, We had Russian people from Vladivostok sitting next to us. They had just arrived from the airport and tried to eat and drink to catch up. See the result in some photos and you'll understand what happened. Anyway, once again "Happy New Year 2010" to all of you and take care...